Weeds
by TTY7
Summary: The pure beauty of a rose is covered with thorns and surrounded by weeds. How is the rose supposed to shine through when marred by these things? A young woman, the embodiment of a perfect rose, contemplates how one man from similar circumstances managed to extend his light past his own heart in order to reveal the beauty within hers. One-shot. Slight fluff involved.


A/N: I love the Yusei/Akiza pairing. I keep writing stories about them for no other reason except for the fact that I love them together. Unlike my last two fics based on this couple, this is a happy story. (Finally. All that angst was starting to get redundant.) Anyway, this little one-shot is set...at some point during the series. You guys can choose when. Definitely after the first two seasons of the show at least. Anyway, for all Yusei and Akiza fans, this one is for all of you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh 5d's or anything related to the series. This is a fan-based work of fanfiction art (hopefully). Thanks.

Warnings: I'd like to call this a song-fic, but it isn't. The story is inspired by the song entitled Weeds by Do As Infinity. (Do As Infinity is a Japanese band. Look into them if you're interested. The English lyrics to their songs are usually really great. The english lyrics for this one did inspire the story after all.) This story is also based off of a parable in the Bible. If you're interested in seeing this parable, the passages are Matthew 13:24-30 and while I won't get into the proper explanation of the parable in this story, (after all this is anime we're talking about here), but the other passages that go along with it are Matthew 13:36-43 if you want to read up on it. I leave it up to you. Also, since it has been a bit since I've watched the series aside from a few episodes here and there, some things may be a tad bit out of whack. Let me know if there's anything majorly wrong with how the characters act and such. Last but not least, for the first time in my works, this is entirely in Akiza's point of view. Thank you and my apologies for the long extended author's note.

Enjoy the story!

* * *

_Now let's make_  
_The seeds of our dreams fly again_.

~_Do As Infinity  
(An excerpt from the translated lyrics of Weeds.)_

* * *

The sky is a perfect blue, with only a few clouds rolling by as the breeze moves through my short locks of red hair. The air smells nice and fresh, only the faintest scent of buttercups rising up as the breeze rolls through the grass beneath me. Closing my eyes, I lean back against the tree, smiling as the sun warms my pale skin. It's been a long time since I've been able to simply relax and enjoy nature. After all the crazy fiascos lately, it's been difficult for me to find time for anything except dueling. Plus, with school slamming me with homework on a regular basis, duel related or not, I'm always busy.

Even so, right now, I'm happy with my life.

I almost laugh at the thought, musing over how it wasn't long ago when I was brooding over the hand dealt to me. Each day had brought waves of endless sorrow and pain back then. It wasn't that I didn't have any support. I had Sayer helping me to control my powers, but in the end his only purpose was to use me up and spit me out. I don't really blame him for what he did. I used him too in a way. I used him to cope with all the things I once hated about my life. For so long my reflection only revealed the darkness of hatred within my soul. It was all I knew after all.

Meeting Yusei that day at the tournament was the turning point. From that day forward, the mask I wore to protect myself from the pain began to disappear. I stopped hiding from my fears and instead faced them head on. Difficulties still surfaced in my life, forcing me to look into the eyes of my true self, the person I was really meant to be. Many times I backtracked, hurting the people who were trying to save me, including my father. Somehow, despite all the struggle, I found a reason to live life anew and I'm happy now, truly and completely happy.

_Embrace your dragon, it's beautiful just like you are underneath that mask._

My heart flutters every time I think of those words. Yusei Fudo, the shooting star from the satellite sector, had completely turned my life upside down from the moment we met. He didn't know me at all and yet he knew exactly what was going on inside of me. He understood all the pain and suffering I had went through because of my powers, understood what it was like to be shunned from society just because you were different from everyone else. After all, growing up an orphan in the satellite is no walk in the park. I would never know what it was like for him to grow up in that enviroment without any guidance except from Martha.

And for him to become the man that he is now is simply extraordinary. He's strong, courageous, intelligent, charismatic, sincere, patient, funny (when he lets his guard down), and he's a determined and fantastic duelist. He's also incredibly handsome, with those cobalt eyes and gravity defying black and golden locks that compliment his tan, alabaster skin. He has a way of captivating me not only with his words but in how he carries himself. He's a perfect gentlemen, great with kids, and a wonderful teacher as well.

And I feel safer with him than I ever did with Sayer. A few months ago, Yusei was teaching me how to roller skate, believing it would help in my quest to master turbo dueling. Having never tried out roller skating, I nearly fell a good thirty times, but Yusei was always there to catch me. He doesn't know it, but I faked losing my balance some of the time, just so I could fall into his awaiting muscular arms.

Some would say that I just have a massive crush on Yusei, but it's more than that. Whenever I'm around him, I just feel good. I want to be around him all the time. He makes me smile and laugh even if he doesn't do anything particularly funny. I would be content with just being his friend and nothing more believe it or not. As long as we could spend time together every once in a while, I could accept him being with another girl. (I'm not saying I'd like it, but I could accept it.)

When he's happy, I feel happiness too. When he's sad his sorrow is my sorrow and I'll do anything I can to comfort him just as he did for me when I was losing my grip on everything in my life. I want to be his rock in a storm, the one thing he can hold on to when the world crumbles and falls apart.

I love him.

Nothing more and nothing less needs to be said when you get down to it. I simply love Yusei, and honestly, who could blame me? He's everything any girl could ever want...except Carly since she prefers Jack, but she's more into the bad boy, tortured soul types. I'm more into...well Yusei doesn't really fit into any specific category. Yusei is just...Yusei and that's what I love. I love him because of who he is and what he represents in my life: solidity, joy, and love beyond all obstacles in the way.

Opening my eyes I gaze down at his head laying in my lap. His eyes are closed, his breathing even, signifying that he was probably sound asleep, made more perfect by the small smile on his face. I sighed in content, feeling elated that he had agreed to spend the day just lying around in the park with me on such a beautiful day. Another blush crept on to my cheeks as I stared down at him. It wasn't like him to lay on my lap like this, but today he'd been insistent upon it, saying he needed a good pillow so his arms wouldn't fall asleep too.

The two of us aren't dating...at least I don't think we are. We've been on plenty of dates, but all of them were casual. Two good friends of the opposite sex were just hanging out together, going to dinners and movies from time to time with the majority of the so-called "dates" taking place in this very park. The closest thing to a kiss for us was sharing a milkshake in the typical 50's way. It was kind of cheesy really, but I've enjoyed every awkward milkshake moment. I wouldn't change a single second the two of us have spent together.

I lean back against the tree again, raising my right hand to gently stroke the top of Yusei's head. His hair is always a bit wild, but it's soft and the strands fit nicely between my fingers. As I stroke his head, my eyes fall to the gold mark on the left side of his face. He was marked in this way because of his time in the facility, but the mark, strangely enough, only adds to his rustic charm.

The wind blows, sending the scent of buttercups more fully into the air as I lift my hand away from his hair. The tips of my fingers come to the left side of his face, barely tracing the mark. Yusei's eyes flutter open at my touch and my breath catches in my throat as his gaze locks on mine. After a moment, a smile, that beautiful and slightly crooked smile he sports only when he's truly happy, graces his features.

"Akiza," he breathed, his exhaustion clear in his smooth voice. "you've got an extra sparkle in your eyes today. Is there a special occasion coming up?"

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. "No, I'm just...happy."

His smile widened. "I'm glad to hear that...but you woke me up from my nap. You know I don't get to take these often."

I laughed a little harder this time. "My apologies, but I couldn't help myself Yusei. You intrigue me." A blush rose on my cheeks, the implication of my own words slamming into me a few seconds too late.

A yawn slipped past his lips; the lips I so desperately want to kiss...aaah! I can't go thinking like that now. I may be in love with Yusei, but he might not feel the same way about me. Come on, pull yourself together girl!

"At least I didn't have to worry about my arms falling asleep this time," Yusei stated, closing his beautiful eyes again. "Your lap makes the perfect pillow." He opened one of his eyes. "So tell me, what is it about me that intrigues you so?"

"Well..." I wasn't sure how to answer that without conveying my feelings, "there's no particular reason really. I just wonder how you managed to become the wonderful person that you are..." I trailed off, wondering if those words actually came out of my mouth. For the sake of my sanity, I hope they didn't.

Yusei chuckled, both of his eyes open now. "You think I'm wonderful?"

My blush darkened. There goes my sanity. "Um...well...yes, of course I do..." What am I, a blubbering mess now? I need to start salvaging the last bit of my dignity before this conversation goes too far.

"I appreciate you saying that Akiza," Yusei stated, lifting himself from off my lap, much to my disappointment. He stretched his arms over his head before inclining his cobalt gaze back at me. "From you, it really means a lot."

"Really?" I asked.

He nodded, lowering his arms so he could face me fully. "Really. Your opinion has always meant a great deal to me."

My heart was palpitating now. "Thanks..." I trailed off, noting that he was slowly scooting closer to me on the grass. At this point I just hope he can't hear my heart racing.

He placed his gloved hand atop of mine. "You know Akiza, I've never really considered myself that great of a guy. All I've ever done is try to do what's right."

"I know," I told him, "but you're a great guy because you strive to do the right thing. Ever since we met, I've watched you lead us to victory after victory. Against the dark signers and against those crazy aliens from that other dimension. Every challenge we face, your always the one standing tall when the rest of us want to give up."

Yusei smiled, his gaze falling to our hands on top of the grass. "I wasn't always like that."

"You sure?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. "For as long as I've known you, you have been the poster child for standing up against great trails and tribulations despite whatever fear you may feel if you feel any at all."

"I've been scared plenty of times," Yusei replied, his gaze traveling across the park. There were children running about in the playground area, young couples walking or jogging about, and a number of others participating in recreational activities around us, but it seemed like we were in our own little bubble by this tree.

"See that flower bed over there?"

Yusei had pointed over to a small bed full of blooming buttercups. Some of the buds had opened fully while others hadn't. A few weeds lined the bed, threatening to choke some of the more vulnerable flowers out.

"Yes, I see it," I told him, shifting my gaze to look at him again. "What about it?"

"Now, do you remember when we first met?"

I laughed. "How can I forget?"

Yusei returned the chuckle, smiling brightly as he spoke. "Well, I used to be like you in some ways. I didn't have psychic powers, but Martha said I had a sour attitude as a kid. I wasn't mean to the other kids or anything; however, she told me my view on life was doom and gloom because of my surroundings. I only remember tidbits from that time, mainly the loneliness I felt."

I brought my knees up to my chest, lowering my head so my chin rested on my knees. "What changed?"

"If you ask Martha, she'll tell you that my change in attitude was miraculous, that it came out of nowhere," Yusei began, his gaze rising up toward the blue sky. "Truth is though, I changed how I felt about life after hearing a story she told to the younger kids. See, I had been assigned to clean up the dining room while Jack and Crow were given different jobs around the house. In the meantime, Martha sat in the living room with the kids sitting around her in a semi-circle. I thought she was going to tell a fairy tale or something similar, but instead she brought out a bible."

"What happened then?" I asked, tilting my gaze a bit.

"She flipped through the pages and stopped on a parable," Yusei replied, shrugging. "She called it the parable of the weeds."

I blinked, confused. "Weeds? I'm not sure if I understand."

"I didn't either and that's why I listened to the story." His gaze settled on me again. "I'm not sure if this is exactly how the story goes, but it went something like this: 'the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field, but while everyone slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds along with the good seed. When the wheat sprouted the weeds also appeared.'"

Involuntarily I scooted closer to him, entranced by his words.

"'His servants came to him and asked him where the weeds came from,'" Yusei continued, "the owner of the field told them that an enemy came and sowed the bad seed. The servants then asked him if he wanted the weeds pulled up. The man declined the offer because he knew if they pulled up the weeds, there was the possibility of rooting up the wheat with them. Instead he allowed for both of them to grow together until the harvest. When harvest time came, the servants collected the weeds and tossed them into the fire while the wheat was stored into the barn."

"So what does it mean?"

"Martha never explained that part of the parable," Yusei admitted, shrugging his shoulders, "and up until now, I kind of forgot about it. But my understanding of it is this: the good seed represents the light in our hearts. Qualities like integrity, kindness, honesty, hope, and love are all represented by the good seed. The bad seed represents the dark qualities in a person such as greed, envy, sorrow, and hatred. The good and evil inside us wars against each other, fighting for dominance in our hearts because they've been allowed to grow together, but each person has to choose one to govern their hearts and actions. No person can serve two masters after all. You have to choose one and shun the other. Some people allow the weeds to grow and others toss the weeds into the fire."

"I think I understand," I told him, "you chose to toss the weeds?"

Yusei nodded. "Basically. I didn't want to live life feeling sorry for myself. I had dreams of becoming a great duelist and leaving the satellite. I wanted to be a light of hope for people and I couldn't do that while living in a shell. That's why, from that day on, I decided I'd do my best every day. Instead of focusing on everything wrong in my life, I started focusing more on the good things. Doing so gave me the drive I needed to move forward." His began to lace his fingers between mine. "I stopped worrying and just let go of everything holding me back. Granted I still made mistakes along the way and there were things that still bothered me, but I realize that everything I went through contributes to the person I've become."

"And I love who you've become."

Silence filled the air as Yusei stared at me in surprise. For a moment I wondered why he was staring at me like that, but then it hit me like a giant bag full of wrenches. I practically admitted out loud that I'm in love with him, right in front of his face. Well, that's just splendid!

My face flushed as I pulled my hand back from Yusei's. "Oh my...uh...that is to say...you realizing those things ended up helping me, you know. It's because of you that I am who I am today too...and that's what I meant with the love bit...not that I don't love you because I really, really do...oooh" I trailed off, my face darkening even more. "Um...I..aah...hahaha...haha!"

Yep, I've turned into a blubbering, love-sick fan-girl. Talk about pathetic!

To my shock and disbelief, Yusei blinked, a blush rising over his cheeks as he started laughing. In fact, he laughed so hard that he ended up falling back on the ground, clutching his stomach as his laughs echoed in the air.

I felt like crying. "Yu...Yusei! It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, still fighting off chuckles as he gently gripped my arm. "It's just...the blush on your face was priceless." With a slight tug he pulled me down on to the grass next to him. He turned, staring into my eyes with such intensity that it literally took my breath away.

"I love who you've become too Akiza."

The words didn't register in my brain. "Huh?"

A chuckle threatened to slip past his lips again, but he stopped himself, shaking his head as he spoke. "Akiza, you underestimate your own strength. You grew up with powers you didn't understand, dealt with friends and family shunning you, and yes you lost your way at times, but in the end you found it within your heart to forgive those people. You embraced the beautiful and compassionate person you are and it's not just because I helped you. You're the one that decided, you chose your own path." He raised his hand, his fingers gently touching my face. "You were brave enough to toss out the weeds growing in your heart. It would have been easy to let them choke out the goodness, but instead of giving up on yourself, you fought. That's why I love you."

I could feel my eyes watering at Yusei's words. He smiled, using his thumb to wipe away the lone tear that rolled down my cheek. I wanted to respond, but I simply didn't know how...

Except to close my eyes and press my lips against his. This happened instinctively, no thought of how Yusei might react coming to mind as I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me. Yusei hesitated for a fraction of a second, but after he took the lead in our kiss as I rolled onto my back, his hand weaving into my hair when my lips parted slightly under his.

After a blissful few minutes of eternity, Yusei pulled away from me and rolled back to his place in the grass. Our breathing was erratic and I'm pretty sure we were both flushed from the long extended passion of our kiss. We didn't say anything for a while, just stared at the sky as we waited for our breathing to slow.

"Feel free to do that again whenever you want," Yusei said finally, turning his cobalt blue gaze to meet mine.

I laughed, propping myself up on my elbows. "I'll be happy to oblige, as long as you don't try wooing any other girl."

Yusei chuckled, rising up also. "There could never be another for me." He placed a chaste kiss on my cheek. "Now, how about we have a milkshake."

"Sounds great," I answered, watching him as he rose to his feet. He turned around, extending his hand out to me with the brightest smile I'd ever seen on his face. I returned the smile, placing my hand in his so he could help me to my feet.

Once on my feet, I placed another quick kiss on his lips. "Race you there!"

Without another word I took off into a sprint across the grass. Yusei followed, shouting at me to wait for him, but I kept running, giggling as the wind rushed through my hair. I glanced up as I ran, taking in the beauty of the gorgeous azure sky.

It couldn't have been a more perfect day.

* * *

A/N: Kind of a late Valentine's piece really. Fluffy, short, simple, and sweet. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. Please review and if you liked this piece, feel free to check out my other Yusei/Akiza one-shots too. Have a lovely day everyone!


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